Medical bags such as drainage or catheter bags or drip bags are used extensively in the medical field along with so-called catheters. A catheter is a thin and flexible tube inserted into a bodily passage or cavity in order to allow fluids to pass into or out of it. The catheter is generally connected to a catheter bag or drainage bag which collects the fluids passing out. Alternatively, the catheter is connected to a drip bag which stores the fluids passing into the body. Catheterization is used in a variety of settings including hospitals, medical centers, care homes and the like typically for patients that are consigned to a bed or wheelchair.
Conventional drainage or drip bags are typically fabricated from polymeric resins and are typically not sufficiently rigid to support themselves in an upright position, for example, during collection of body fluids. Moreover, such containers may not be laid flat during collection because of the potential of leakage back through the fluid inlet port, with potential hazard to the patient. Furthermore, some bags also provide an accurate volume reading of the fluid connected, but to do so it is necessary that the bag be supported substantially vertically.
Examples of fluids collected by conventional drainage bags include body fluids resulting from surgery as well as urinary discharges. Since it is preferable to place the drainage below the patient for gravity flow, conventional drainage bags are typically suspended on the patient's bed, more particularly on the rail of the bed frame.
During typical hospital care, the patient, the bag and the patient's bed are frequently manipulated for performing various tasks necessary to care for the patient. In order to accomplish these tasks, it is necessary that, during these manipulations, the bag be retained in the desired orientation with respect to the ground. As mentioned previously, the bag typically hangs in a vertical orientation to permit accurate measurement of its fluid content and, for example, avoid fluid backflow to the patients. Also, the bag must be supported with reduced risks of falling off its support even when filled with drainage fluid. Some patients require multiple drainage bags and, hence, the challenges associated with appropriately supporting the drainage bags are multiplied.
Most conventional medical bags such as drainage bags include either an attachment ring or an attachment hook extending therefrom in order to allow the bag to be secured, typically to the railing of the bed frame.
So-called IV (intravenous) poles are also used extensively in a variety of medical settings. Such poles are typically used for securing drip bags at a level located above the patient in order to use gravity to bias the fluid out of the bag and into the patient's body. There exist a variety of situations wherein it is desirable to allow for both the drip and drainage bags to be secured to a common IV pole. For example, this would allow a patient to become ambulatory without requiring that the patient or care giving personnel carry the drainage bag. Also, mounting the drainage bag or bags on the IV pole would free up the bed frame and potentially lead to a reduced risk of entangling the catheters with a potential health hazard to the patient.
Accordingly, there exists a need for an improved bag support.
It is a general object of the present invention to provide such an improved bag support.